Shire vision: Readers say get back to the basics

SOUTH Gippsland Council is inviting community members to shape the future of South Gippsland by developing the Community Vision for 2040.

But if the feedback received to a Sentinel-Times’ social media post is anything to go by, ratepayers and residents want any shire “vision” to address the basics first.

Surprise, surprise: It’s roads, rates, rubbish, parking, sports facilities and more building blocks… rather than the big picture.

Ultimately the shire wants you to participate.

You can go on line and complete a survey, register your interest, attend a pop-up feedback event or participate in an online forum on February 2, 2022.

Go to: https://yoursay.southgippsland.vic.gov.au/vision

To promote this important process, that will be used when council works out its plans and strategies, we asked our readers on Facebook: “What's the most important thing the shire should be doing?”

Here’s what they had to say:

* Continue road opposite school to bus depot and get some traffic off MacDonald Street, Leongatha

* Allow landowners to subdivide small blocks to help with the land shortages

* Update and upgrade every sporting facility

* Fix dangerous intersections

* Put in left turn lanes at intersections in towns (especially Turner Street, Leongatha)

* Rubbish bins/pick up should be provided for the whole shire

* Pave gravel roads

* Get whoever is responsible for the roadside weeds to get the ragwort under control before it takes over the whole shire

* Slash and maintain grass and weeds on both sides of the rail trail. It’s a fire hazard and not fair to residents and farmers alike

* Make large parking areas for caravans, horse floats to use rail trail and buy food in towns.

* Looking at the comments so far; its rates, roads and rubbish; looks like climate change has been pushed out of local council as it should be

* Team up with whichever authority you need to and get that insane intersection fixed at Edney’s ‘Kamikaze Korner’

* Get the roads repaired the roadside trees cut down to stop power outages and don’t waste our $ rates

* Fixing the roads. Our cars have to meet a certain standard so should the roads

* What Capital Works Projects were NOT completed and fully expensed last year is my starting point.

* We need to plant more trees on the roadsides

* What’s the point, all they think about is “beautifying” the town centre

There was even a bit of free advice for the Bass Coast Shire Council:

* Emptying red rubbish bins weekly in Inverloch and surrounds especially over the Christmas Easter holidays.

But not everyone was in agreement:

* I agree with most of your points, but our country towns are already resembling suburbs of Melbourne and not the desirable ones. Blocks need to be made bigger by law in new subdivisions and less splitting of current big blocks. Our services are already overloaded, so why create bigger population before that’s fixed? In my opinion.